tion, is given only because they are, and in That Senfe wherein they are, (according to the following Explication,) agreeable to that which appears to Me (upon the most careful and ferious confideration of the whole matter) to be the Doctrine of Scripture; and not in that Senfe which the Popish Schoolmen, (affecting, for the fake of Tranfubftantiation, to make every thing look like a Contradiction,), endeavoured to introduce into the Church.

Every fincere Chriftian, affenting (for the fake of Peace and Order) to the Ufe of any Forms of Words; must take care to affent to them in fuch a Senfe, as may make them confiftent with the Scripture; (otherwife he affents to what is Falfe) and in fuch a Senfe, as may make them confiftent with Themselves; (otherwife he affents to Nothing.) This is what I have attempted to do in the Third Part: And I am fure it is no more a putting of violence upon the Expreffions cited in chapter the 2d of That Part, to make them confiftent with Scripture, and with the Expreffions of the Liturgy cited in chapter the ft; than it is on the contrary a putting of violence upon the Scripture

and upon the Expreffions cited in chapter the 1ft, to make them consistent with the Expreffions cited in chapter the 2d.

I am well aware it may to Many seem Needlefs, to enter into Questions of This Nature; and that, in matters of fuch Nicety and Difficulty as This, it were better (in their opinion) to let every man frame to himself fuch obfcure Notions as he can, and not perplex him with subtle Speculations. And indeed, with regard to Scholaftick and Philofophical Inquiries concerning the metaphyfical Nature and Subftance of each of the Three Perfons in the everblessed Trinity, this manner of judging is fo right and true, that had Thefe things Never been medled with, and had men contented themselves with what is plainly revealed in Scripture, (more than which, they can never certainly know ;) the Peace of the Catholick Church, and the Simplicity of Christian Faith, had poffibly never been disturbed. But That which is properly Theological in this matter; viz. the diftin&t Powers and Offices of each of the Three Perfons, in the Creation, Government, Redemption, Sanctification, and Salvation of man; and the proper Honour due confequently from Us to

each

.

each of Them diftinctly; This is the great Foundation, and the main Oeconomy of the Christian Religion; the Doctrine, into which we were baptized; and which every fincere Chriftian ought, according to the best of his Ability and the Means he has of informing himfelf, to endeavour thoroughly to understand. The Supremacy of God the Father over all, and our Reconciliation and Subjection to him as fuch our Supreme Governour; the Redemption purchafed by the Son; and the Sanctification worked in us by the Holy Spirit ; are the Three great Articles of our Creed: And in maintaining these rightly, fo as feriously to affect mens Understandings, and influence their Lives accordingly, is the Honour of God, and the Intereft of True Religion greatly concerned. Tritheifm, Sabellianifm, Arianifm, and Socinianifm, have, to the great difparagement of Christianity, pu zled the plain and practical Doctrine of Scripture, with endless fpeculative Difputes: And it has been no fmall injury to Religion, in the midst of those Difputes; that as on the one hand, men by guarding unwarily against Tritheifm, have often in the other extreme run

C 2

into e

into Socinianifm, to the diminution of the Honour of the Son of God, and to the taking away the very Being of the Holy Spirit; fo on the contrary, incautious Writers in their zeal against Socinianifm and Arianifm, have no lefs frequently laid themselves open to Sabellianifm or Tritheifm, by neglecting to maintain the Honour and Supremacy of the Father. The Design of the following Papers, is to fhow how This Evil may be prevented, and in what manner Both Extremes may rationally be avoided."

There are Others who have thought, that we ought not at all to treat concerning any of these matters, because they are Mysterious. By which if they meant, that the Words of God were myfterious, and that therefore we ought not to be wife beyond what is written; no man could fay that herein they judged amifs. But if they mean, that the Words of Men are mysterious; and that we must not reafon concerning Them, nor inquire whether or no, and in what Senfe, they are agreeable to the words of God: What is This, but fubftituting another mystery in the ftead of the true one; and paying de

ference

ference to the mystery of Mans making, instead of the mystery of God? The True Veneration of Myfteries confifts, not in making them our felves and in receiving blindly the words of Men without understanding them; but it confifts, either in taking care There to stop, where the Scripture it felf has Stopped, without prefuming to go further at all; or else, in taking care to understand all words of humane inftitution in Such a fenfe, as that they be fure to fignify neither more nor lefs than the words of Scripture neceffarily and indifputably do. Whofoever puts any Meaning upon words of humane inftitution, which does not appear to Another (upon his fincerest and moft careful Examination) to be the fame with the Senfe of the words of Scripture; muft not complain that the Other opposes his own Reafon to the Authority of God, when indeed he opposes it only to Those who would make Humane Authority the fame with Divine. Affecting to fpeak unintelligibly, where the Scripture it felf has hot done fo; is indeed promoting Scepticism only, not True Religion: Nor

..can